When you’re not too busy

We were talking to secretary ANNE STEWART, who’s a camera enthusiast, and trying to persuade her to find the time to come on over and take some colour films of our dahlias.

And Anne said she didn’t know we grew dahlias and the sickening thing was we were too embarrassed by the truth of the matter to recover from our foolish clanger. Our window boxes are full of mustard-and-cress and nothing else. In a kind of mumble, we said it was only our way of asking her to come and share a pot of tea with us. There are some girls so bemusing to one’s eyes and ears that one can’t help not being one’s usual brilliant self in the company. It’s all to do with a strange numbness that takes hold of one. Beauty casts it’s wondrous spell and mumbling incoherency is upon one. All that clear, scintillating wit departs, never, it seems, to return.

Anne, who loves to travel, is saving up hard to buy her own car and drive herself all over Europe.

She'll be taking her teddy bear for company and her binoculars for security. She'll be able to spot the Casanovas a mile off. Casanovas are the men who ask a girl who's a camera enthusiast to come on up and take colour films of their dahlias. Etchings went out with the flapper.

Seeing’s Believing

It’s just a case of ANN MILLIGAN being too dreamy to be true, but when we took the camera along to find out what impression the lens got of her we found out something else as well— Ann is an absolute picture. Every look, every line and every curve is true.

The Park Looks Nice Today

It didn’t look quite so nice yesterday, but it looks very nice today. Parks are for walking in and for exercising your dog in and for nannies to rescue mites from ponds in.

They’re also for courting and playing ball. They look more colourful in the summer than they do in the winter, of course, and the real reason why this particular park looked so attractive at the back end of a quite a hard winter was because SYLVIA TERNES happened to be around.

It wouldn’t have looked half as nice if it had been a dog sitting there instead of Sylvia, and though dog-lovers may not be in complete agreement with us here, it’s a toss-up as to whether we’re prejudiced or they are.

Bachelor Girl

Very cosily at home in her new apartment in London is CAROL CATKIN. Carol is a bachelor girl with her eyes set on a modelling career.

This doesn't mean she turns a cold eye to men. There's nothing about Carol that wants to be liberated. Her idea of the blissful best of both worlds is a career to keep her vital and occupied during the day, and a fascinating man to keep her entertained during the evenings.

The thought of dining out by herself makes her throw a fit.

"Men are so useful," she says earnestly, "they can order the wine and boss the waiters about. They can see you safely home—after they've paid the bill, of course—and they don't mind a bit if you have to poke them in the eye on your doorstep. They like that, it tells them you're a nice girl. How dreary if you had to go out with another girl. I mean, who’d pay, for goodness sake?"

Bridging the Gap

The Short Skirt trend has presented stocking manufacturers with the problem of concealing the stocking tops and bare thighs now sometimes visible when the girls sit down. Or even when they stand up as SUSAN DOUGLAS illustrates.

Seen the View Dad?

"Come here, son. Look at this. It's a lyxtuscancilius. Not many of them about these days."

"Just as well, dad. It's horrible. I like daisies best. You seen the view, dad?"

"Not now, son. I'm concentrating on this lyxtuscancilius."

"I never seen a view as good as this, dad."

"What view? Here, half a tick, stand aside, my boy. Ah. Mmm. Now look, son, here's two bob. Go to that shop two miles down the road and buy yourself an ice cream. If you see your mother tell her I sat on a lyxtuscancilius and I'll join her when I'm better."

"I'll tell her about the view too, shall I, dad?"

"Would you like a thumping or another two bob?"

"Make it another two bob, dad."

Dad wasn't so potty about wild flowers that he couldn't recognise a view as lovely as the one SYLVAN COLLINS made.

Sylvan is a London dolly who looks swinging in a discotheque and absolutely enchanting in the sunshine. Wasn't it wonderful that dad had his camera with him to capture a permanent record of the view?

Every Inch Counts

In Toronto there dwells the sweetest young thing who stands just 5' I" and is called Petit’ Petit’ by her friends. Born in the States, LOIS DAVIS is now resident in Canada, works in a Toronto office and is trimmer, neater and far more exciting to take to an ice hockey game than any filing system.

Lois is crazy about ice hockey and it’s great to have her with you, she makes the whole thing an inspiration instead of just another game. If, in her excitement, she stands you on your head, just don’t think about it. It leaves off eventually.

Sugar and Spice

You’ve all heard about what little girls are made of. Big girls are rather nicely put together too. Scottish secretary CHERIE SCOTT is all grown-up and absolutely delicious. Like all the most endearing representatives of her fascinating sex, she loves finding out in the kitchen. Her recipes are guaranteed, when the end product emerges, to make a man all sweetness and light.

Sugar and spice in Cherie’s kitchen are a must. Sugar for the tastiest cookies, spice for the most mouth-watering savouries. How people can worry about what’s next on the telly when life can be made wonderful by having a good cook around, is beyond us. And when the cook is as bewitching as Cherie, you can even forget about the bomb.

Fancy a Game?

Housewife MARITA SAUNDERS isn't just a pretty face in a modern kitchen, she's a glamour girl around a snooker table. That's pool to American readers.

Fancy a game or two with Marita? She'll give you four blacks start, and while you're ruminating on her mini-dress and wondering why it was that you didn't marry a girl just like her, Marita will have potted you right out of the game.

And she'll do it all with a lovely smile and a wizard cue.

It might make you sadly conscious of your incompetence but at least it won't hurt.

Startling Statistics

Fads and Fancies No 4 (1950)

Dear Rosemary,

I have been trying to compile a census of what types of undies women and girls I know are wearing and I have now got together sufficient figures to provide what should be an in­teresting few paragraphs for fellow-readers of Fads & Fancies.

Of the 40 females who agreed to give me the information I wanted, 14 preferred French knickers, 12 cami-knickers, 9 directoire knickers, 3 short briefs, and 2 tight fitting trunks. I found that in really hot weather no less than 13 of these left off anything in the way of underwear round her hips. I did not find a girl who never wore knickers of any description.

The ages of the girls and women were from 16 to 37, and the distribution of the types of underwear was interesting. Of the class 16 to 23, 2 wore French knickers... 2... cami-knickers, 5 directoire knickers and 2 tight fitting trunks. Of the 24 to 30 class, 5 wore French knickers, 4 camiknickers, 3 directoire knick­ers and 3 wore trunks. Of the 31 to 37 class,7 wore French knickers, 6 camiknickers, 1 directoire knickers.

From these figures it would seem that the younger girls have to wear, or prefer to wear the more tightly fitting underwear; while the older girl who can choose for herself. Prefers the looser garments which I personally prefer.

During this investigation, in which I found most of my friends very co-operative, a few interest­ing facts emerged. About half the girls wore brassieres, mostly the younger girls. The others pre­ferred the bosom to be free and unrestricted, generally because of the pleasure produced when silk or satin blouses were worn im­mediately over it.

Suspender belts were of the tiny type meant to do no more than keep stockings up, unless the figure was such that a corset was essential. Some belts were dainty, trimmed with a little lace, but most were the pink satin or bro­cade type.

My own choice for an attractive girl is as follows. Sheer nylon stockings, suspender belt in black lace, with three suspenders to each leg. Brassiere of the same material, and very wide legged cami-knickers in flame colored satin, flared at the hips; with black lace insertions at bust and hips. Trimmed at the bust and legs with white lace one inch wide. Black satin frock, tight at the bust, with zip fastener to the waist, down the front, very wide skirt to the frock.

I hope other readers will submit the results of their investigations, and I hope you will publish all of general interest.

Oo-La-La!

Star of the stage in West Germany, radiant vision on West German television, delight of the youth of West Berlin who love the image she presents of German vitality, is BRIGITTE KRUGER.

But when it comes to selecting a costume for revelry at a party in West Berlin, Brigitte chose not that of a fair maiden of Bavaria or a beer maiden of Munich, but that of an irresistible maiden of the Naughty Nineties.

And French too.

What, indeed, is more French and has more indefinable Oo-la-la to it than the costume of the Can-Can girl?

Oh, Happy Days

Out in the country, whizzing around in a fast car and all that. Happy days. Very happy for JAN LLOYD, 23-year-old English housewife with a zest for zingy fresh air and brief minis. As well as being a housewife she's a short -hand typist and lives in Havant, Hampshire.

Would you believe it? Jan and her husband are engaged with a do-it-your-self building group in the erection of their own house. Jan looks lovely at week-ends when she's mixing cement, laying bricks and climbing ladders. Naturally, she looks particularly lovely on the latter. And she's quite an eyeful when she's tinkering around with her car, too.